Kirke Park

This is such a wonderful little park, and it packs so much into a little space. I especially like the things that set this park apart from some others – the little nature play trail, the multiple child saucer swing, and the side-​by-​side extra wide slide, so that one kid can linger uncertainly at the top while the next kids can still go.
Someone did a great job designing this beautiful spot for families. We don’t live super close but I will keep it in my list of short-​drive parks to visit.

It took a little longer than expected, but this space evolved from a set of overgrown vacant lots into one of the best neighborhood parks in Seattle’s northern neighborhoods.
As part of a joint project with Groundswell NW, the city turned what could very easily have been several new housing developments into an expansive public space of nearly a full acre that features a P-​patch, picnic tables, large lawn, sand pit, trails through the «woods,» unique saucer-​shaped swings, and a great playset made of wood and recycled resins instead of the usual tubular steel structures.
Kirke is a busy place if the weather is even remotely cooperative. There are plenty of benches for parents to keep an eye on their kids while they play, lots of room for soccer, frisbee, bocce, or other lawn games, and you’ll frequently see birthday parties or other celebrations gathered around one of the picnic picnic tables. They’ve done a good job retaining a lot of the trees that line the adjacent properties, and have done a lot of landscaping with boulders and large sections of old trees so it feels like a very natural space without being overly planned or engineered.
The only thing it is lacking is restroom facilities. Granted, most of the people who visit live within a few blocks, but toddler bladders don’t reliably make it a few blocks. As such, you might occasionally see a kid disappear behind one of the big logs next to the fence, doing their little gottagopee dance.
It didn’t take long for Kirke to get established as the go-​to gathering site for families on the east side of 15^th, and it just adds to the list of things that makes the Whittier Heights/​North Ballard area such a great place to live.